Silk is the safe all-rounder, gloss gives photos maximum punch, and uncoated is natural, matt and lovely to write on.
Want a warm novel feel? Try Lessebo Vanilla cream. Paper is hard to judge on a screen, so we’ll post you a free sample pack with every house paper and weight.
Silk, gloss and uncoated: what’s the actual difference?
Every paper is really one of three finishes. Get these three and you’ve got most of the decision sorted. Here’s each one, in a sentence.
A smooth sheet with a gentle, low-glare sheen, the happy medium between gloss and matt. Rich colour that’s still easy on the eye and easy to read.
Looks like: a soft lustre, not shiny, not flat
Best for: most books, magazines and photography
Our house silk: Symbol Freelife Satin and GalerieArt Satin
A shiny, reflective coating that makes colours punch and photos look crisp. The most vivid of the three, though watch for glare on heavy text.
Looks like: bright, glossy, reflective
Best for: vibrant photo books, posters, bold covers
Our house gloss: Symbol Freelife Gloss
No coating, no shine, just a tactile, matt surface that feels lovely and writes beautifully. Colour looks natural, though darks and photos come out a touch softer than on silk or gloss.
Looks like: flat, matt, natural and tactile
Best for: text, art and design, a natural premium feel
Our house uncoated: Genyous Uncoated (bright white)
Silk is the safe all-rounder, gloss is maximum punch, and uncoated is natural and tactile. Want the detail on shine? Read glossy vs matte, explained in full.
Find your paper in one line
Most people fit one of these. Find the closest match and you’ve got your starting point. We’ll confirm it when you send your project.
You want rich, accurate colour with a soft sheen, not full gloss glare.
You love a natural, non-shiny, tactile sheet that lets the work speak.
You want that warm, cream, easy-to-read book paper readers expect.
You’re after an eco, textured, off-white sheet with real character. Note that it mutes images and softens colour, so skip it if colour accuracy is critical.
GSM just means how thick the paper is
GSM stands for grams per square metre. The bigger the number, the thicker, heavier and more premium the sheet. Thin sheets for inside pages, thick sheets for covers. Every house paper comes in a wide range, so here’s the cheat sheet.
| Weight | Feels like | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| 90–130gsm | Thin and flexible, like a magazine page | Inside pages of books, zines, magazines and booklets. 130gsm silk or 120gsm uncoated is our standard. |
| 150–170gsm | Sturdier, like a quality flyer | Heavier inside pages (170gsm is the heaviest we use inside), lighter covers, posters and catalogues |
| 250–350gsm | Firm card, like a premium business card | Covers (300gsm is our standard, 350gsm the thickest for a softback), postcards, invitations and greetings cards |
| 400gsm | Thick, rigid board | Chunky postcards and creative business cards. Too thick to bind into a book. |
Want to go further? Here’s our full guide to choosing GSM.
Off-white and cream papers
If bright white feels too clinical, which is common for novels, poetry and a vintage mood, we offer two warmer sheets. Both are premium, and both gently mute artwork, so they suit text and soft imagery best.
A soft, warm, cream sheet with the classic “novel paper” feel readers love. Gentle on the eye for long reads, and perfect for indie authors and poetry.
Our 100% recycled sheet: an off-white sheet with a real grainy texture. Full of character, but it noticeably softens images, so it’s not the one for colour-critical work.
Want a warmer look on a budget? We can print a subtle off-white tint into your artwork instead, on bright white stock. That’s the hack below.
Want a kraft, off-white or textured look? Read this first
Printing onto coloured or brown kraft stock washes out your artwork, and because it’s premium paper, it at least doubles the cost of the job. After many attempts, we’re really not fans. There’s a far better way, and it costs you nothing extra.
Drop a subtle shade into the background of your cover artwork so it looks like a warmer, off-white paper. Then we print it crisp and full-colour on bright white house stock.
Same trick: drop one of our high-res kraft textures into your cover background to fake that grainy, brown-paper look, without the washed-out colours or the doubled bill.
Pop the texture on the very back layer of your cover, design over the top, and send it as normal. Handy little hack.
Our house papers, hand-picked over 20 years on the press
We’ve been helping people print since 2006, and these are the sheets we keep coming back to. After all that time, we know a bright white base gives you the best colour reproduction.
- FSC-certified. All our house stocks are responsibly sourced as standard, and Evolution Uncoated is 100% recycled.
- Bright white. A clean white base that gives you the truest, punchiest colour.
- Thin to thick. Every finish runs from light inside pages to sturdy cover card.
- Bought in bulk. We buy these papers in quantity, which helps keep your price sensible.
Hold the real thing in your hands
You really can’t judge paper on a screen. So before you commit, we’ll post you the real thing, and you can see and feel every paper for yourself.
- Every house paper and weight, from silk, gloss and uncoated to Vanilla and Evolution, printed with our test alphabet so you can judge colour as well as feel.
- 15 free postcards: epic New York photography on one side, print hints, tips and tricks on the reverse.
- Free in the UK and usually posted the same day, so it’s with you in a day or two. Overseas packs are £5 to cover postage (allow 1–2 weeks).
- No studio visit, no hunting down a local printer.
Order your free sample pack. Still torn? Tell us what you’re making and we’ll point you straight to the right sheet.
I had no experience printing books, but Mike and Harriet guided with helpful communication throughout the process. They also sent us samples to judge paper quality before making a choice and committing and were patient with us in a tight deadline scenario, helping us find viable solutions and delivering in time!
Watch the papers side by side
Two more if you’d like to go deeper: the full paper showcase, and the coloured-cover hack in action.
5:22Paper choices for printing: A showcase of silk, gloss, uncoated and recycled finishes | Ex Why Zed16.7K views · opens on YouTube
3:16PRINTING A COLOURED COVER: A cost-saving alternative to using a premium paper | Ex Why Zed Print973 views · opens on YouTube
For the paper geeks and the colour-critical
These guides cover the detail: why screens lie about colour, how to read a proof, and paper picks for specific projects.
Screens glow; paper reflects. Here’s how to set expectations.
The final check before we go to press.
Durable, bright stocks for little hands.
The right stock for self-published zines.
Stocks that suit inking and flat colour.
Getting fine-art reproduction right.
Paper questions we hear most
If I’m not sure, which finish is the safest bet?
Silk. It’s the all-rounder: rich colour without gloss glare, and comfortable to read. For most books, magazines and mixed photo and text projects, silk is the sheet that rarely disappoints. Order a sample pack and you’ll feel why.
Can you print onto coloured or kraft brown paper?
We strongly steer you away from it, because coloured or kraft stock washes out your artwork and at least doubles the cost. Instead, use our free texture hack: drop a kraft or off-white paper image into your cover background, and we print it crisp on bright white. The downloads are in the hack section above.
What’s the difference between silk and matt lamination?
Silk is the paper finish itself. Lamination is a separate thin film we apply to a cover (170gsm or heavier) for extra protection and a particular feel: matt, gloss or soft-touch. You can have a matt-laminated cover on a silk sheet, because they do different jobs. Ask us and we’ll explain for your project.
I want a warm, cream “novel” paper. What do you offer?
Lessebo Vanilla. It’s a soft, warm, cream uncoated sheet with that classic novel feel, easy on the eye for long reads and ideal for poetry and fiction. Evolution Uncoated is a more textured, recycled off-white alternative, though it mutes images more.
Should I worry the print won’t match my screen?
A little awareness helps. Screens emit light so colours glow; paper reflects light so they’re calmer, and uncoated and recycled stocks especially soften images. If colour accuracy is critical, choose a bright white silk or gloss, design in CMYK where you can, and order a sample pack or a single proof copy first.
How do I see the papers before ordering?
Order our free sample pack. It’s usually posted the same day, with every house paper and weight printed with a test alphabet so you can judge colour and feel. There’s no minimum order either, so you can print a single copy of your actual project before committing to the full run.
Pick the paper that makes it feel real.
Get a free sample pack in your hands, or just tell us what you’re making and we’ll match you to the right sheet.
